Welcome!  Hymns have been and continue to be a real source of inspiration to me.  My desire in this blog is to share special hymns with my readers hoping that the words will minister to them, especially in times of great personal need.  If one of these hymns ministers to you, please take time to leave a comment so that I know that my blog is helping others as much as it helps me. Sometimes I will also provide a link where you can go to hear the hymn played.  So, please join me here each week and sing along as we praise God together.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

IN TIMES LIKE THESE


         We live in very troubling times.  Terrorism is increasing worldwide.   Wars and threats of wars abound.  A deadly disease is spreading and killing thousands.  Christians are being killed, persecuted, and forced to flee their homes.  Fires, floods and earthquakes are devastating large areas.  Judges are overturning Biblical standards.  It is easy to become discouraged, worried and fearful.  But in a society which no longer has absolutes, believers do have absolutes upon which they can rest.  In times like these we need the Bible.  In times like these we need a Savior.  In times like these we need a solid Rock and an Anchor.  And thankfully we do have those to build our lives on and depend upon.  In 1944, a housewife named Ruth Caye Jones was concerned about the state of the world.  The country was in the middle of World War II.  Hitler, the Nazi army and the Japanese military were waging war around the globe.  Mrs. Jones was at home completing her daily household tasks.  She was burdened and stressed by the turmoil and evil in the world.  She was moved by reading the words of 2 Timothy 3:1: "This know also that in the last days perilous times will come." As she read those words, inspiration for the song came, and she jotted lyrics on a small notepad she had in her apron pocket.  Since that day the hymn has been a blessing to countless Christians at special times of need. It has brought comfort and has encouraged and challenged Christian workers, and has drawn many to salvation.  Mrs. Jones herself experienced the consolation of these words as she spent time recovering from serious surgery a few years after she wrote it. When Jones watched George Beverly Shea sing her song on a Billy Graham telecast, tears came to her eyes and she said, "I can't believe I had any part in writing this song. I just feel that God gave it to me, and I gave it to the world."  She had written 15 other songs, but "In Times Like These" became her best known.  Today, we still live in perilous times. And unlike in the 1940s, we as a society have grown further and further from God. The Solid Rock is still there and always has been, but too many people have chosen to throw their anchor on sinking sand.  So the words written 60 years ago ring more true today than they ever have. In our lives we will encounter storms of life, some which threaten to tear our whole ships apart. But if your anchor grips onto the solid rock, there is no storm that can destroy you.  Rest from the turmoil of these times and claim these truths this week.

(1)   In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

(2)    In times like these you need the Bible,
In times like these O be not idle;
Be very sure, be very sure 
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

(3)    In times like these I have a Savior,
In times like these I have an anchor;
I'm very sure, I'm very sure
My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

I am providing two chances to listen to this hymn this week.  The first is a trio (you can skip the ad in a five seconds).    TRIO
The second is by a chamber choir   CHOIR

Sunday, September 21, 2014

I WILL NOT FORGET THEE


          As I am writing this I am waiting for a friend who had told us that he would visit with us this morning.  But it is now two hours past the time when he said he would stop by. I assume that he must have forgot.  It happens.  Several months ago a friend promised to take care of making arrangements and securing something that I really needed for a program I had agreed to lead.  Despite several reminders, he forgot to follow through until the last minute.  And then, when he finally remembered to fulfill his promise to me, it was too late and he wasn't able to do it.  That left me stuck at the last minute and forced me to change my plans.  Even our best friends can forget their promises to us. It happens.  The older I get the more I am learning to write everything down.  I need a calendar and I need "to do" lists, otherwise it is easy for me to forget.  Sometimes forgetting can be caused by serious physical problems.  I think dementia is a frightful thing and we have no control over it.  It is heartbreaking to see loved ones no longer recognize their mates because of devastating mental changes.  But forgetting isn't just limited to older people.   As a teacher for 39 years I often had students who forgot assignments or materials they needed for class.  A college friend of mine forgot and left his mother several times when they went to church gatherings.  It happens.  It can be bad and embarrassing when you forget something. And it can really hurt when somebody forgets you or forgets to do something they had promised to do for you.  But this week's hymn choice reminds us of One who never forgets us - the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. And He never has.  He continues to guide us and strengthen us and provide the wisdom that we need.  And He has gone to prepare a special home for us and has promised to come back for us.  He hasn't forgotten us.  I don't know what event may have stirred Charles H. Gabriel (1856 - 1932) to pen these words in 1889, but he was right on. The chorus reminds us "I will not forget thee or leave thee; In My hands I'll hold thee, in My arms I'll fold thee; I will not forget thee or leave thee; I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee."  What a tremendous reminder that we can depend upon our Redeemer who loves us and protects us and will never leave us or forget us.  Maybe you are lonely or discouraged right now.  Meditate upon these words and realize that you are not forgotten.  You may feel very insignificant, but you are loved and are valued by the Father.  Reflect upon this truth and be encouraged this week


(1) Sweet is the promise "I will not forget thee,"
Nothing can molest or turn my soul away;
E'en though the night be dark within the valley,
Just beyond is shining an eternal day.
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
In My hands I'll hold thee, in My arms I'll fold thee;
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee.

(2)     Trusting the promise "I will not forget thee,"
Onward I will go with songs of joy and love,
Though earth despise me, though my friends forsake me,
I shall be remembered in my home above.
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
In My hands I'll hold thee, in My arms I'll fold thee;
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee.

.(3)     When at the golden portals I am standing,
All my tribulations, all my sorrows past;
How sweet to hear the blessed proclamation,
"Enter, faithful servant, welcome home at last."
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
In My hands I'll hold thee, in My arms I'll fold thee;
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee.


Listen to it being sung here.     LISTEN

Sunday, September 14, 2014

SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER



        Recently I was reading this familiar story from John  4. Jesus was tired and sat at a well while His disciples went into town to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The Samaritan woman was quite shocked because Jesus was a Jew, and Jews simply hated the Samaritans. Of course, she had no idea who Jesus was and asked Him how He could ask her for water since He was a Jew.  Jesus ignored the question and went right to the point, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water"  Jesus continued, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."  As I thought about this story several things came to my mind.  First was an old Sunday School chorus that I haven't sung in years, "Jesus gave her water that was not from the well, Jesus gave her water and sent her forth to tell.  She went away singing and came back bringing, others for the water that was not from the well."  My second thought was of the song written by John Peterson in 1950 that talks of the living water that Jesus shares.  Usually this song is thought to speak of the wondrous gift of salvation that comes through Jesus.  And certainly it does. "O sinner ... The Savior now invites you to the water free, where thirsting spirits can be satisfied."   But I think it also speaks of our everyday need to grow spiritually by drinking in what the Savior teaches us.  After all, in Matthew 5:6 he taught, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." If we are saved, we don't ever need to return to Him for salvation.  That is assured.  But as growing plants need water to grow and produce, we do need Him to be the source of our daily  strength and spiritual growth. And when the chorus talks about "happy now am I", it isn't talking about outward passing fun, but of the eternal satisfaction and joy which one experiences when one daily grows closer to the Lord.  Now I am aware that there are some critics of this song because it speaks about "springs" rather than "spring". But, I am sure that the writer would agree that there is only one source of this salvation and satisfaction and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.  In this age when many claim different ways to salvation, it is essential to understand that Jesus is the only way.  He himself said that.  So this week drink fully of what the Lord has provided for those who put their trust in Him.  Then your thirst will be completely satisfied.

(1)     I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame, 
And nothing satisfying there I found; 
But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came, 
Where springs of living water did abound. 
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy; 
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
O wonderful and bountiful supply. 

(2)     How sweet the living water from the hills of God, 
It makes me glad and happy all the way; 
Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I've trod, 
I'm shouting Hallelujah every day. 
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy; 
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
O wonderful and bountiful supply. 

(3)    O sinner, won't you come today to Calvary? 
A fountain there is flowing deep and wide; 
The Savior now invites you to the water free, 
Where thirsting spirits can be satisfied.
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy; 
Drinking at the springs of living water, 
O wonderful and bountiful supply. 

Listen to it being sung here.   LISTEN

Here is a beautiful piano duet of this weeks song.   DUET

Sunday, September 7, 2014

I WON'T HAVE TO CROSS JORDAN ALONE


Few things are certain in this life.  But one thing that is 100% certain is that, unless the Lord returns first, 100% of us will eventually die.  For some that is a frightening thought, especially if they aren't prepared for what will happen after their physical death.  But all believers have the assurance that they will go to be with the Lord, eternally.  Jesus Himself promised that to us.  He said that He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would someday take His children to that special place.  The Apostle Paul said, "for me to live is Christ, but to die is gain".   And all believers should feel the same.  The problem isn't death itself, it is the concern about what the process may be to get to that point.  And for many that journey is different, even though the final destination is the same.  In recent years many of my friends and family members have made that journey.   Some were sudden - a heart attack, a pulmonary embolism, a car crash.  For some the journey was a little longer with things like diabetes or cancer.  For some the journey was very long and difficult, often in a nursing home.  In the Old Testament we read of the Israelites making the journey to the Promised Land. To get there they had to eventually cross the Jordan River.  God safely led them across this river to the Promised Land.  The Jordan has thus become a symbol of our  final earthly journey, with death marking our crossing over the river to our promised land.  Many hymns have used this crossing as a theme.  I could not find any biographical information about the author of this week's hymn choice, Thomas Ramsey.  Nor could I find anything about the circumstances which inspired him to pen these words.  I can only assume that it may have happened after watching friends and family members make this final journey.  And his words remind us that when we reach that river we won't need to cross it alone.  Jesus will be there to comfort us and welcome us to our Promised Land.  In the darkness of that hour He will be there, waiting for us, and showing us the way.  You, too, may have heard stories about the unusual experiences that many believers have had as they passed away. God loves and cares for all of His children in special ways.  Be assured that not only will He be our comfort and guide as we begin the journey, but He will be with us when we cross the Jordan.  What a tremendous comfort that should be for all believers.

(1)     When I come to the river at the ending of day
When the last winds of sorrow have blown
There'll be somebody waiting to show me the way
I won't have to cross Jordan alone
I won't have to cross Jordan alone
Jesus died all my sins to atone
In the darkness I see
He'll be waiting for me
I won't have to cross Jordan alone

(2)     Often times I'm weary and troubled and sad
When it seems that my friends have all flown
There is one thought that cheers me and makes my heart glad
I won't have to cross Jordan alone
I won't have to cross Jordan alone
Jesus died all my sins to atone
In the darkness I see
He'll be waiting for me
I won't have to cross Jordan alone

(3)     Though the billows of trouble and sorrow may sweep
Christ the Saviour will care for his own
Till the end of my journey my soul he will keep
And I won't have to cross Jordan alone
I won't have to cross Jordan alone
Jesus died all my sins to atone
In the darkness I see
He'll be waiting for me
I won't have to cross Jordan alone

Listen to it being sung here.   LISTEN